Suction cleaner



Sept. 12, 1939. w. G. KILPA'rRlcK .2,172,960

suc'rlrou cmmnn v Filed Dec. 11, 1956 2 Sheets-sheet 1 zzja Hp ATTORNEY @atented Sept. l2, i939 UNITED STATES" Mimet SUCTION CLEANER,

Wilford G. Kilpatrick, North Canton, hio, as-

signor to The Hoover Company, North Canton, hio, a corporation of Ohio Application December 11, 1936, Serial No. 115,305

Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in suction cleaners and more particularly to cleaners of the portable handle maneuvered type adapted to perform its cleaning function through a main g nozzle as it is moved bodily over the surface of the carpet'to be cleaned and also designed for so-called oi-the-lioor operation whereby the cleaning is carried on through an extension hose and dusting tools.

l@ The object of the present invention is to provide a simplified arrangement of the parts associatedwith the function of converting the cleaner to and from oiT-the-floor operation and characterized chiefly by the unitary assembly of a hinged le valve member and a cover plate for the port into which a converter fitting at one end of the hose is inserted.

The novel features of the cleaner embodying the present invention will now be described in mi connection with the accompanied drawings in which:

` Figure 1 is a general view in side elevation of a suction cleaner into which the nozzle converter arrangement has been incorporated.

pg Figure. 2 is a bottom plan view of the cleaner with a portion of the bottom plate removed to show the arrangement of the converter valve and converter port cover.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary bottom plan view a@ of. the cleaner showing the converter member inserted into the converter port and the valve shifted into converted position.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view in vertical section through the fan chamber as taken on line g5 dof Figure 3 and Figure 5 is a perspective view of the convertermember carried at the end of the dusting tool hose. Y

Referring to the construction and design of .do the suction cleaner in its general aspects, the' same comprises a main casing I supported upon wheels 2, 2 located adjacent the forward and rear end thereof and including, as an integral `part thereof, a nozzle casing 3 extending transdti versely across its forward end said nozzle portion including a nozzle chamber having a downwardly facing slot or suction mouth and housing arotating agitator 4 equipped with solid beater and exible brush elements intended to produce 50 a combined beating and brushing actionupon the carpet.

Formed Within the main casing I is a fan chamber in which is located a fan 5 having driving connection with a motor, not shown but en- 55 closed within a dome-like casing or cover '6 supported on top of the main casing i; The motor-driven suction fan 5 is visible (Figure 2) through an annular opening or eye 5a in the bottom wall of the main casing i and forming the air inlet to the fan chamber, the latter having 5 an exhaust outlet 'i at the rear end of the main casing l and to 'which a dirt receptacle or bag B is removably attached. Immediately surrounding the "'eye or air inlet opening 5a to the fan chamber is the rear m end of a passage extending forwardly and communicating with the nozzle chamber, said passage being formed by short side walls 9 formed integral with and depending from the bottom 'wall of the main casing and a removable boti5 tom plate it. Aside from forming the passageway for the air from the suction nozzle to the fan chamber, this passage also houses a driving belt il extending from a driving pulley at the lower end of an axial extension l2 of. the g@ g fan E, to a centrally disposed annular pulley groove on the agitator il.

Referring now to the converter arrangement, it may be stated that the function of conversion consists generally in closing orf the normal air passage to or from the fan chamber and at the same time connecting the dusting tool hose with the fan chamber, so that the air enters or leaves the fan chamber through the hose. in other words, the conversion may be for suction or blowg@ er cleaning depending on whether the converting operation takes place on the suction or pressure side ci. the fan chamber. Moreover, the conversion may be accomplished in a number of different ways, one beingthe shifting of a valve gg or gate member crosswise of the air passage leading to or from the fan chamber. Another method is to insert aconverter member, preferably attached to the end of the dusting tool hose, through a port located immediately adjacent the inlet g@ to the fan chamber. In the present disclosure, the conversion is preferably confined to suction cleaning operations and is accomplished by combining a hinged valve member and an insertable converter tting or member each actne ving to close off one-half the area of inlet opening to the fan chamber. Moreover, the port through which the converter member is inserted is normally closed by a swinging gate member or cover which carries the converter valve, so

that when the said gate is swung into open position to admit the converter fitting the converter valve is simultaneouslyswung into converting. or closing position, and vice versa.

Referring now to the detailed arrangement vthe fan chamber. normally assumes a position just forwardly and whereby this conversion is brought about, there is provided immediately adjacent the air inlet opening or eye 5a to the fan chamber, a converter port I3 opening laterally toward one side of the cleaner and formed by omitting a section of the side wall 9 of the passage connecting the nozzle chamber with the fan chamber and further, by straightening a section of the wall 9 at the rear of the fan eye, so that the port entrance is parallel with the longitudinal center line of the casing I, as clearly shown in Figure 2. vExtending over the port entrance is a hinged cover plate Il pivotally mounted on a vertical pivot pin I5 located at the forward edge of the port opening and arranged to swing outwardly and forwardly-through an angle of substantially 90'bt normally held in its closed position by a torsion spring I6 coiled around the pivot pin I5 between a pair of bearing ears Ila, Ila on the cover plate.

Integral with the hinged cover plate Il'is a fiat substantially senil-circular horizontally arranged valve member II extending beyond the hinge pin mounting and located wholly within the passage leading from the nozzle chamber to Moreover, this valve member on the same side of the fan eye 5a as the port I3, with its rear curvilinear edge in substantially abutting contact with the side wail 9 of the passage. In fact, the portion of the side wall 9 immediately adjacent the converter valve member Il is curved immediately beyond the hinge pin I5 in order to conform to the curvilinear contour of the valve member. Generally speaking 'the shape and area of the valve member I1 conforms to that of the forward half of the circular fan eye Ba, that is tosay,Y it has an outer semi-circular edge of substantially the same radius as the fan eye and an irregular diametrically extending edge consisting of a somewhat semicircular recess I'Ia concentric with its outer edge interposed between two parallel straight edges IIb, I1b offset from each other on opposite sides of the geometric center of the two concentric edges. And finally, the valve member I1 is located in a plane parallel with and just below the plane of the fan eye 5a, so that, assuming that it is swung inwardly toward the fan eye in a counter-clockwise direction from its position in Fig. 2, it seals and closes off substantially the entire forward half of the fan eye with the cenrally disposed semi-circular recess I1a embracing the pulley extension I2 of the fan.

In the operation of converting the cleaner to oH-the-iloor cleaning, the converter valve is actually swung into closing position, but since it is an integral part of the hinged port cover I4, these two members must necessarily. swing together about the hinge pin I5 as an axis. Thus, as the port cover' I1 is swung into open position, the` valve member swings into its operative or closed position and vice versa, that is to say, between the positions shown in Figures 2 and 3.

Manifestly, with the port cover swung forwardly the port is open to receive a converter member, the insertion of which completes the conversion. Figure 5 shows a suitable form of converter member I8 which is carried at the end of the extension or dusting tool hose I9.

Briefly, the converter member I8 consists of a hollow metallic body, flattened to a rectangular cross-sectional contour with a curved forward end lila describing an arc of slightly less than And finally, in the uppermost fiat side wall of the converter member, is a substantially semi-circular shaped opening I8c adapted to register with the remaining uncovered area of the fan eye after the valve member I1 has been swung into closing position. In short, the entire forward end of the converter member is fashioned to conform with the space surrounding the rear half of the fan eye, so that when converter .member is inserted endwise through the port I3 with the open side thereof facing upwardly to register with the fan eye and the L-shaped recess facing toward the converter valve I1, the closing on'. of the fan chamber from the nozzle is completed and the air must then enter the fan chamber through the hose.

If desired, a nger operated latch member may be carried by the converter member I8, whereby it may be held against accidental displacement during converted operation. Moreover, a boss 2| may be located just outwardly from the hinge pin I5 serves as a stop member to limit the outward swinging movement of the port cover, so that in inserting the converter member I8 the pressure exerted by one against the other aids in holding the parts in place.

It may be added in connection with the present disclosure, that the closing off of an air passage by means of a converter member has been utilized heretofore as a means of converting a suction cleaner to either suction or blower operation and hence the novelty of the present arrangement may be said to reside chiefly in so connecting the converter valve with a hinged cover for the converter port that in swinging the latter into open position to admit the converter member, the converter valve'is simultaneously swung into its operative, position. Such an arrangement, although comparatively simple is nevertheless advantageous since it reduces the converting operation to a sequence of more or less natural movements, namely, that of opening a hinged closure with one hand and inserting a hose connection into the Aopen port with the other hand.

Therefore, having set forth a preferred embodiment of my invention,

I claim:

l. In a suction cleaner, the combination of a casing including a nozzle and a fan chamber having an air inlet opening communicating with said nozzle through a passage provided with a port opening from the exterior thereof adjacent said inlet opening, a port closure member hinged to swing outwardly to permit a' converter member to be inserted into said port and a converter valve connected with said hinged closure member and adapted to swing therewith into a position Within said passage to coact with said converter member to close olf said opening into said fan chamber.

2. In a suction cleaner, the combination of a casing including a nozzle and a fan chamber having an air inlet opening communicating with said nozzle through a passage provided with a Vport opening from the exterior thereof adjacent said inlet opening, a port closure member hinged to swing outwardly to permit a converter member to be inserted into said port and into a position to register with a portion of the area of said air inlet opening, and a converter valve integral with said hinged closure member and adapted to` swing therewith into a position within said passage to complete the closure of said opening to said fan chamber.

(bfi

arranco 3 3.*In a suction cleaner, the combination offa casing including a nozzle and a fan chamber having an air inlet opening communicating with said nozzle through a passage provided with a `port opening into the same from the exterior thereof and adjacent said inlet opening into said fan chamber, 'a hinged closure member for said port adapted to be swung outwardly into port opening position to permit the insertion o! a converter member within said port to establish communication with a portion of the opening to said fan chamber, and a converter valve member located within said passage and connected to said closure member to swing into a position to close the remaining portion of. the opening to said fan chamber when said closure member is swung open to receive-said member.

4.`In a suction cleaner,` the combination of a casing having a fan chamber and a nozzle com municating with said fan chamber through an air inlet passage opening to said fan chamber, said inlet passage having an externally opening .port in the wall thereof to receive a converter member adapted to close oi a portion of the passage to the fan chamber, an external port closure member adapted `to swing outwardly to admit said converter member, and a separate internal converter valve member integral with said closure member and ladapted to swing therewith to and from a position to .close oil the remaining portion of said inlet passage to the fan chamber. i

5. Inv a suction cleaner, the combination of casing having'a ian chamber and a nozzle communicating with said fan chamber through an air inlet passage, said casing having', a port communicating with said air passage adjacent said fan chamber and adapted to receive a converter member carried at one end of a hose and acting to close ci! a portion of said passage to to and froma position to close the remaining portion of said passage, and tension means act- Y ing on said closure plate and valve member to.

hold the same in their closedand open'positions respectively.

wiLFoRD G. KIIPATRICK. A' 

